


feeling undertow

by Tododorky



Series: the ebb and flow of your heart [5]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: <3, M/M, Some amazing art included in this chapter, The Boys go diving!, all in all its gonna be a rly important chapter i can promise you, but there will be some slight injury treatment, no one's gonna die i can promise you, somethin goes wrong tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-27 15:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10812183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tododorky/pseuds/Tododorky
Summary: Yuuri gets his toes wet and dives into the tank for the first time.





	feeling undertow

**Author's Note:**

> ((Also in case any confusion, [...] is supposed to be the pause of Yuuri or Viktor breathing while in the tank))
> 
> Super big thanks to neambus and drawing an important part of this series, please go and check out more of [ their art](http://neambus.tumblr.com/), spread the love to them!

“Are you ready, Yuuri?” Viktor held Yuuri’s hand as they stood in the declined stairway that led into the wide opening of the Kelp Forest exhibit, the same tank Yuuri had seen Viktor dive in just months before.

 

Viktor often called it The Open Ocean exhibit from time to time and Yuuri found out, it was rightfully called so. Adequate sunlight is needed to reach the kelp for it to stay alive, thus the top of the exhibit was actually exposed to the outside, extending out of the building with a flat cemented platform that surrounded the top of the exhibit personnel could walk about.

 

Even if Yuuri was doing this with someone he trusted, the frigid water that met at his chest came up to push him slightly over and over again, acting as constant mantras to remind him of what he was about to do and kept Yuuri anxious. “V-Viktor, what on earth is that giant piston-like thing?” Yuuri squeezed Viktor’s hand and gestured with a nod across from them at a large white machine, its movements resembling something like an oil pump (the visual comparison always made Viktor’s stomach turn) moving steadily down into the tank and then right back up.

  
“Oh! That’s a plunger, actually a very key element to this exhibit. That arm is essentially moving the water around the tank; mimicking the surge of the pacific and really making this whole exhibit come to life by giving the kelp essential nutrients, as well as the natural sunlight the kelp needs to make its own food. This particular exhibit is a live replica of the bay’s kelp forests, and even this water in here, in all the exhibits in fact - we pump water straight from the ocean!”

  
“No wonder it smells so authentic,” Yuuri scrunched up his nose as he smiled sheepishly, and Viktor had to fight off the urge to just lean down and kiss his button nose right then and there.

  
“You get used to the salty ocean spray, Yuuri-I figured you would’ve gotten used to it just being around me. I usually manage to fit in a quick shower after diving, but if I happen to be running late for a meeting, I just..towel myself off.” Viktor said. The realization slowly set in that Viktor was actually right: they spent so much time together, Yuuri _ had _ gotten used to the faint aroma of sea spray on Viktor, but standing in the original source was simply overwhelming Yuuri’s nose. Also to Yuuri’s dismay, the mental image of Viktor in his wetsuit with the upper half of his smooth, chiseled body on full display and casually having the wetsuit hang onto him just below his hips was ingrained into Yuuri’s mind. He couldn’t exactly say if it was a bad image or good image, and that only made it worse.

 

Viktor continued, verbally pulling Yuuri out of his daze, “It’s a prize of an exhibit, Yuuri. Fifty-five million dollars were invested in this very exhibit alone that we’re about to dive into! Can you believe that?”

  
“Fift--did you say  _ million _ ..” Yuuri’s head began to spin, knees wobbled and he drifted backwards a bit, the surge taking him as much as Viktor would allow. “I-I honestly don’t think I’m worthy of all this, you even bought me a diving suit..”

 

Yuuri flushed to the tips of his ears just remembering Viktor had intentionally bought them a matching set of wetsuits: the body of it was black, and from the sides of Yuuri’s hips to the underside of his forearms, a thick stripe of light blue ran to contrast the black. Viktor’s suit had a similar design, save for the thick stripe on this wetsuit was a light pink. 

  
“Enough bragging, Viktor, get on with it and _ dive _ into your lessons,” Chris chuckled above the two of them, handing them both their masks. These looked much different than the ones Yuuri had seen Viktor wear, but said nothing. These seemed to have more visibility for the diver, but there was a mouthpiece on this mask, as well as wide 3-way strap that pulled over the diver’s head and around the sides.

 

“Viktor? What if I screw up in there? If I just start..panicking or something?” Yuuri blurted out, adjusting the thick straps over his shoulders and a buckle around his abdomen that held his oxygen tank. 

 

“Well the sanctuary’s closed today, so no one should be watching us in there, alright? It’s just us, and I’ll take care of you, Yuuri.” Viktor offered a comforting smile before putting on his mask.

 

Yuuri only watched Viktor put his mask on and mimicked him before he stepped off the stairs and into the tank. 

  
  


Pushing himself off and away from the stairs proved to be a bit difficult, for Yuuri at least. Viktor had to pull him down with him before the surge in the exhibit had the chance to push Yuuri back to the stairs. Submerging smoothly into the cold water still proved to be something to get used to; he shuddered and kept holding Viktor’s hand, kicking his flippers with a bit more force than he felt necessary.

 

Small schools of fish seemed to dart up to them and just as quickly dash away, making Yuuri flinch at small minnows that got too close to his face. Viktor guided Yuuri in front of him, steadying him to make sure he could stay upright with the surge still making them both sway with the water.

 

Yuuri paddled with his hands a bit to steady himself, avoiding any curious creatures that felt the need to approach him. Then he looked up at Viktor for guidance. He watched as the older man brought a hand under his own chin and slowly gestured outward.

  
_ ‘Speak’. _

  
Yuuri’s eyebrows furrowed at this, perplexed at what Viktor wanted.  _ “Viktor, we can’t talk underwat-”  _ Yuuri gasped and brought his hands up to his mask, making the connection.  _ “We can talk with these!” _ Yuuri exclaimed, inhaling a breath of oxygen.  _ “[...] This was going to take time to get used to, huh?” _ He asked before taking another breath.  _ “[...] Talking and then breathing?”  _

  
_ ““Of course we can talk! [...] You think I was just going to let us swim about aimlessly and stare at stuff? You insult me, Yuuri. [...] Just keep calm, you’ll be alright as long as I’m here.”  _ He smiled at Yuuri, his blue eyes squinted and the raise of his cheeks prominent through his lense.

  
_ “Right, Okay.” _ Yuuri returned a smile before flinching back at a small bright orange fish that made its way just inches in front of Yuuri’s face too fast, startling him.  _ “Viktor, I’d like to begin our lesson [...] but your fish have no sense of personal space.” _

  
_ “I’ve raised them better. Well, some of them, at least. [...] Where would you like to start anyway?”  _

 

Yuuri brought a hand up to his chin as he surveyed the tank. Mila may have explained the significance before, majority of the fish were flittering about too fast to keep an eye on them.   _ “The coral..reef? The coral cove-thing, I wanna start there.”  _

 

_ “You could refer to this as a coral reef Yuuri, don’t worry. [...] Now, the foundation of all coral, or polyp, is a limestone hold it grows onto rocks. [..] The limestone is known as a calicle, and once that’s formed, the polyp buds and multiplies out clones. The various, bright colors displayed  are actually from the algae the polyp hosts. [...] If the coral were to die, you’d be able to see its white, calcium carbon skeleton. Coral is also [...] significantly particular about its environment; an increase in the temperature or acidity of the ocean would be enough to kill it.”  _ Yuuri’s eyes stayed fixed onto Viktor, regretfully realizing much too late he had tuned out what Viktor was saying. Watching him move about in the water was so natural, like he was in his own element. He knew exactly how much to kick the flippers on his feet and how to control where he went, even with the water still pushing against him.  

 

Snapping Yuuri out of his trance unknowingly, Viktor took Yuuri’s hand to get closer to the display of the reef, not letting go and pulled Yuuri to his side, pointing out a small, dark hole.  _ “Similar to the way the polyp hosts algae to grow over its surface, the reef supports other species [...] and provides shelter or nesting grounds for multiple organisms.”  _ He turned to Yuuri enough to look at him.  _ “Did any of that make sense to you, or did I ramble too much?” _

 

_ “No, I understood it all! Don’t worry I got it!” _

  
Viktor smirked at Yuuri’s assurance.  _ “Alright, well have we gone over the kelp forest and why they’re important?” _

  
_ “Kelp is a keystone species, meaning a lot of organisms depend on it for shelter, nesting, and [...] they break the force of waves.” _ Yuuri listed off information, counting them off his fingers until he was finished and looked to Viktor for confirmation.

_  
_ _ “Good, and what about basic functions?” _

  
Yuuri kicked his flippers back to propel him upward a bit, heading toward a tall vine of kelp.  _ “Their holdfasts keep the kelp attached to the rocks,” _ He pointed downward to the floor of the tank before continuing,  _ “The small little bulbs right at the base of each leaf contain pockets of air that keep the kelp upright in the ocean. [...] Oh, and sea otters wrap themselves up in kelp vines to keep themselves from drifting away into the current.” _

  
_ “Excellent Yuuri!” _ Viktor dashed up to meet the younger man above him, stopping once he saw a leopard shark make it’s way up to Yuuri’s side and didn’t slow down. He said nothing once the small shark bumped into an unsuspecting Yuuri, arms flying up and barely managing to kick his flippers to stay upright.

 

_ “Ah! Viktor!” _ Yuuri screeched as the shark travelled up around Yuuri’s leg and up his stomach, prodding at it slightly with it’s rounded off snout.  _ “What does it want - what should I do?” _

 

_ “It’s alright, she’s just curious! She’s just interested in you, she’ll figure out you’re not food and leave-” _

 

_ “She doesn’t know I’m not food now?!”  _ Yuuri waved his arms as much as he could, sighing and almost collapsing in on himself out of relief.  _ “How do you even know what half of these fishes’ genders are?! [...] I can’t even keep track on where they are around me,”  _

 

_ “Ah, well,”  _ Viktor brought a hand to scratch at the back on his head before continuing,  _ “I can’t speak for all, [...] but for certain aquatic creatures, you’d check the same way you’d lift a dog’s leg [...] and see if it’s a boy or girl.” _

 

_ “How very...unscientific.” Yuuri mused as he turned his head to try and look at the smooth white underbelly of the leopard shark that swam overhead. _

 

_ “Damn it all, I don’t even know what I’m looking for!” Yuuri huffed and crossed his arms over his chest in frustration, Viktor howling with laughter at his reaction. _

  
A glimmering light got his attention directed to a plumage of small silver fish all moving in one direction around a strand of kelp. Their group seemed small when you managed to focus on one individual, but the entire school moved together, vibrantly and whirling at their own pace. The sunlight that casted down into the water caused a vicious incompatible glare, such a sight Yuuri could only imagine him mimicking the array somehow on a canvas. He wouldn’t let that bother him though. Instead, Yuuri swam up toward the school of fish, his laughter carried on through his mouthpiece as he twirled with an encircling school of fish before they swam away. At this point he couldn’t not admit it, he was having the time of his life.  _ “This is so amazing, Viktor - Woah!” _   
  
Viktor pulled Yuuri back from a protruding moray eel from its home in the reef, mouth agape to expose it’s thin but jagged teeth. Not taking his eyes off it to ensure the eel kept it’s distance, Yuuri grabbed Viktor by his upper arms and legs wrapped loosely around him.  _ “I’m glad it’s appearance strikes enough sense in you [...] to keep your distance. They’re pretty slow and lax and is just a grumpy old fish.” _ __  
  
Yuuri had crossed his legs coyly as he let himself slowly sink.  __ “It’s insane how amazing it is in here on the other side of the glass.” 

 

He couldn’t stop what happened, frankly no one could. He was being careless. 

 

There was this sharp pain upon initial impact, and then it spread through Yuuri’s nerves, feeling like the spark fed gunpowder and igniting all at once. He couldn’t breathe. He was going into shock.

 

Viktor could hear the frantic gasps and turned to see Yuuri almost clawing at his mask.

  
_ “Yuuri?! What’s wrong- [...] can you hear me? What happened?” _

  
_ “Up, I- want to go up, it hurts- I feel like I’m burning Viktor-” _ Yuuri sobbed through his mask. He grabbed Yuuri by the straps that held his oxygen tank and pulled him along upward, not wanting to touch him somewhere he may have gotten hurt.

  
  


Reaching the surface, Viktor guided Yuuri to the platform that lead out from the tank, pulling his mask off and called Chris (who was of course taking advantage of the most perfect spot for sunbathing but this was an emergency) to help get Yuuri out of the water.

  
“I need to get the wetsuit off, it’s hurting me..” Yuuri shuddered, limping up the stairs and out of the water. His stood with his feet being shoulder width apart and upper body hunched over to look at the floor as he filled his lungs with air. 

  
“Where, Yuuri? You’re going to have to tell us where you-” Without looking, Yuuri lashed out to grab at Viktor’s hand and placed it just over Yuuri’s plump right buttcheek.

 

  
Viktor’s face goes stark red and his brain practically becomes mush. He manages to mumble out, “I’m getting mixed signals here- what should I do.” Looking over to Chris for some much needed guidance.

  
“You should listen to him, Viktor, the sooner his wound goes untreated, the higher chance it will get infected.”  

“Of course, you’re right.” Viktor shook his mind clear and promptly removed his hand from the younger man’s ass. 

 

“Yuuri, put your arm around me and let’s get you inside.” He calmly said with Chris in tow.

 

Suddenly Viktor felt as if he had fallen flat on his face.  _ ‘How the hell was I supposed to treat Yuuri down there?’ _

  
The three men made their way into the locker room and stopped near a bench. “It’s either here or we do this on the bed in the infirmary where I do whale autopsies.” Chris noted, finalizing their stay in the locker room.

 

“It’s also too far, let’s just hurry up and do it here.” Viktor steeled his nerves as he got behind Yuuri and unzipped his wetsuit, Chris helping by making sure the transition out of it was as unpainful as possible and Yuuri wrapping his arms around Chris’ neck to keep himself upright, the embarrassment was long gone and the pain was all but nulling his nerves. The wetsuit was slowly slipping down and Yuuri began to let out more and more groans of discomfort. Finally they had managed to get it past Yuuri’s hips, and it was there Viktor became eye-level with the wound. 

 

_ ‘He got pricked on his butt by a sea urchin, oh my god,’  _ Viktor inwardly cackled at the situation, relief flooding about in him just knowing exactly what he was up against.  _ ‘At least he won’t be able to watch me work, I guess,’  _

 

“Help me lay him down please Chris?” Viktor sighed and lowered Yuuri down onto the bench, swallowed his embarrassment before dropping to his knees and cupping Yuuri’s asscheek to better inspect the wound.  “It doesn’t look that bad, Yuuri. Just about 10 spines in you, I can get them out easy.” (‘why god, why is his butt so soft and perfect’). There was time to praise Yuuri’s behind- with permission much later, and this wasn’t one of those times.

  
“Really?” Yuuri turned his head on his side to look back at Viktor with half-lidded, exhausted eyes.

 

“Really! I’ve had a few sea urchin stings before, since I used to snorkel a lot growing up. I think my niece did too- no wait, she touched a jelly that washed up on the beach.” His offered a tired smile and took a first-aid kit Chris passed him. “ _ That  _ was an experience I hope to never recreate. My sister wouldn’t let it go for years.”

 

“You have a sister? What’s she like?” 

 

Viktor’s shrugged, fumbling through the first-aid kit as he spoke for whatever he thought he needed. “Think ‘Wicked Witch of the West’, but she’s related to me, so she’s pretty gorgeous too.” 

 

“Twins, dear Viktor, she’s your older twin.” Chris smirked at a disapproving sound from Viktor. “Super thin-lipped, but even for a woman, gorgeous.”  

 

“Enough about her, she’s not important since you’re never gonna meet her. She’s in St. Petersburg taking care of our parents.” Yuuri settled down with his cheek resting against the bench, feeling Viktor squeeze at his ass again.

 

“I have a sister too, Viktor. She’s in Hasetsu for a good majority of the year but comes to visit me here sometimes. We have a list of things to do first, and mostly it’s hitting up Fisherman’s Wharf for the food there.”

  
“Ah, a fellow foodie. I like her already, Yuuri! We should all go down to the wharf sometimes. But for now,” Viktor lightly tapped his hand against Yuuri’s ass playfully. “I’m gonna need you to hold onto something please, these spines aren’t going to come out themselves.”   

* * *

 

 

 

Returning to the aquarium later that night, Viktor slumped with his back against a locker. _‘That certainly could’ve gone a lot better. Yuuri even tried to assure me he was to blame and even wanted to make sure the sea urchin was alright.’_

 

Collecting Yuuri’s things from the locker he was using, his eyes fell onto the wetsuit they managed to peel off of Yuuri. There was something under the suit. Moving it, Viktor’s heart dropped.

 

The yellow sketchbook Yuuri must’ve brought with him had been soaked through for what may have been hours. 

 

Flipping through the sketchbook to assess the damage, it opened at one page that Viktor couldn’t believe.

 

There were sketches of him. A particularly rough one of him in a suit he could recognize, then another of what was a detailed sketch of his eyes. There was an attempt to mimic the correct shade of blue right under it, where evidence of Yuuri mixing colors resided. Altogether seemingly abstract drawings that were undeniably Viktor.  

 

“If it counts toward anything, I would’ve much rathered an urchin sting to the butt than to find out his feelings this way.”

 

* * *

As it turned out, Viktor hadn’t gotten a terrible lot done aside from sleeping on the locker room floor. He slowly sat up, thumb still holding open the notebook to the guilt ridden page. There was no way to play this off, no way to just let this whole thing go. 

He froze feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket.

  
  


9:25AM

In the lobby, are you here yet?

With what had to have been his poorest attempt at fixing his hair, Viktor darted out of the locker room, taking the small backpack the younger man had brought with him the day before.

“Yuuri!” Viktor waved down at Yuuri from the bridge that overlooked the main lobby before running down the stairs to meet him. “You’re upright already?”

“Yeah, my…” He quickly looked about for any possible passersby. It was relatively early, so no one was around. “I’m feeling better already, so figured I’d walk over and pick up my things I left here yesterday.”

“Right, of course.” Viktor held out Yuuri’s bag to him. Once Yuuri attempted to take the bag back, Viktor pulled it out of his way.  _ ‘If I don’t say something I’ll never forgive myself.’ _

Yuuri had a small perplexed smile on his face, thinking Viktor was teasing him by keeping the bag away. “My bag please, Viktor. I gotta go home and nurse my...behind.” He took a step forward and tried to take the bag again, and Viktor kept the bag away just as easily. By this point, Yuuri began to notice the struggle all over Viktor’s face. “Are you feeling okay?”

Viktor exhaled before speaking. “Listen, I know I look like I slept on the floor cause that’s exactly where I slept, my back really hurts and I went back to the locker room after dropping you off at your apartment, your sketchbook-” Viktor paused to frantically search through the bag, pulling it out with swift assurance. Yuuri’s eyes fell on the familiar sketchbook and his expression hadn’t shifted out of his calm and at ease nature. “It had gotten drenched last night, I found it under your wetsuit and had to leaf through to make sure it wasn’t badly damaged, I think a lot of your paintings got soiled but-”

“Kiss me.”

Viktor stopped speaking and stared at the younger man. “What?” 

_ ‘He wasn’t mad at me for going through his things? About finding those drawings of me?’ _

“Kiss me. I want you to kiss me.” Yuuri repeated himself, taking a few steps forward to lessen the space between them. 

Viktor didn’t need to be told twice. 

With quick strides, Viktor had dropped the sketchbook and Yuuri’s bag, taking him in his arms and held Yuuri against him tightly. Viktor held him by the back of his neck to deepen the kiss, letting his fingers curl into the soft brown hair there. 

 

 


End file.
